Congress asks Goa governor Mridula Sinha to follow Karnataka example, invite it to form government

Panaji: The Congress in Goa on Thursday demanded that Governor Mridula Sinha follow the footsteps of her Karnataka counterpart Vajubhai Vala and invite the Congress, which emerged as the single largest party after the 2017 Assembly elections, to form the government in the coastal state.

Representational image. PTI

"If the Karnataka governor can invite the Bharatiya Janata Party, the single largest party to form the government then why can't the Goa governor invite the Congress, the single largest party that emerged in Goa, to form the government here? Why different criteria for two states? Why the double standard? We request Her Excellency to follow big brother Karnataka governor and invite the Congress to form the Goa government and rectify a wrong," Congress state president Girish Chodankar told reporters.

The BJP had won 13 seats in the 2017 Assembly elections, compared with 17 of the Congress'.

However, after swift political maneuvering, the BJP staked claim to power with two regional parties and independent MLAs and formed a coalition government after getting a nod from Sinha.

In Karnataka, BJP's BS Yeddyurappa was sworn in as chief minister by Governor Vala on Thursday despite protests from the Congress and Janata Dal-Secular (JDS), which formed the post-poll coalition to bid for power.